Indore: Five men were lynched in Maharashtra on rumours of child lifting that were circulated on social media. Free Press talked to youths to know their reaction. Excerpts-
Fake circulation
“It is people’s foolishness to believe without checking facts. Recent incident pertains to DPS school bus accident where hundreds of people rushed to Bombay Hospital for blood donation because of WhatsApp message. None contacted hospital to know if it really needed blood.”
Yusuf Khan, theatre artist
Humanity overlooked
“Why can’t radical elements put their extremism aside for a while and think of humanity first. People have to be educated, made aware. Till this happens, people will not be tolerant, nor will they be sensible.”
Shobhna Jain, homemaker
Motive is to defame
“Defamation is the only reason behind these rumours. I’ve come across many messages on social media about blood of cancer patient added to soft drink, insects floating in bottles of preservative juices. But rumours can result in killing people shocked me.”
Aishna Jain, psychology student, Vaishnav College
Let law decide
“Most WhatsApp messages are fake. But even if there is some reality in them, who we are to decide? Just being a smart phone user with a 3G internet pack doesn’t allow us to take law in our hands.”
Priya Soni, physiotherapy student